Faculty Reading Spotlights Ben Gunsberg, Jennifer Sinor, and C.R. Grimmer

English faculty Jennifer Sinor, Ben Gunsberg, and C.R. Grimmer showcased new work at a faculty reading on September 24, 2026. 

Jennifer Sinor read from her new novel, The Beautiful Plain. Jennifer has traditionally written nonfiction, and her work often focuses on grief and trauma. Comparatively, she called the fiction writing process playful and expansive. 

“In nonfiction, it’s never all wrapped up in a bow. It’s always moving forward and there’s always difficulty. But with this, I knew I wanted to write something big-hearted, and therefore I knew my characters were going to be okay.” Her book focuses on themes of friendship, initiation, and jealousy and is set in the pre-cell phone world of 1980s and early 2000s Nebraska. 

Ben Gunsberg read from his new poetry collection, Passing Tones. Along with poems, Ben’s new book includes QR codes that link to music composed by Max Matzen, a professor of music and trumpet player. The poems themselves are full of music — drums and flutes, crows and cat tails, hoof-drumming, outlaw ballads, fiddlers, and spoons. As part of the reading, Max shared a musical recording and Ben read along.

C.R. Grimmer read from a new academic work, Poets as Public Scholars: Contemporary Poetics in an Age of Social Media. Each chapter is structured around a video featuring a different poet and an accompanying critical essay written by C.R. The book can be accessed for free online through the University of Michigan Press.

Natalie Black is a creative writing student who attended the reading. She calls it insightful to see what working creative writers and scholars are doing outside of the classroom.

"It was so eye-opening and inspiring to see what influences them and their writing, and to see a glimpse of what putting your work into the world is like,” Natlie reflects. “It definitely expanded my horizons on what I can personally create and helped me appreciate the merit of my professors, as they are actively doing the work they ask us to do.”